-A
chance to break out of the mundane, humdrum life and have ‘real living
experiences’ (beyond just being a consumer that lacks a soul, that’s part of a
soft and lazy culture)

-Development
of strong bonds and camaraderie built through intense competition (fighters would routinely hug and thank each other after bouts)

In
addition, there were generally two reactions to learning about Fight Club and/or
interacting with one of its members:

-After
watching one (fight) you want to join in

-Confusion
from co-workers and colleagues as to exactly what it is they were doing (and
why) with their weekends/nights

Eager Crowd Waiting to Hit the Course

In a nutshell,
before they spun out of control as a large anti-establishment group, the Fight
Club members would participate in an activity that people outside of the club
did not understand or even knew existed (remember the first 2 rules of F.C.?), and
then would show up for work on Monday or return to their families with a few
bumps, cuts and bruises which would add to the confusion of their co-workers and
friends who wondered what the heck they were up to.

No One Will Notice That, Right?

Imagine
this discussion in a typical officebreak room:

Carl: “So what did you do this weekend?” – Grabs a
powdered donut.

SBX/SX Athlete: “I had 2 Boardercross races in the
mountains.” – Fills up their coffee cup.

Carl: “You did what…what’s that?” – Munches on
a donut dribbling some powdered sugar on his tie.

SBX/SX Athlete: “It’s snowboard racing” - Takes a
sip of coffee.

Carl: “Wow, how long have you been doing that?” –
Tries to dust off the powdered sugar.

SBX/SX Athlete: “4 Years.”

Carl: “That sounds dangerous.”

SBX/SX Athlete: “It’s fun and yes, there is some
risk of injury, but that’s not something you really think about.” – Sips some
coffee.

Carl: “So is that why you do all your gym stuff?” –
Now somewhat embarrassed to be eating a donut.

SBX/SX Athlete: “Yep, you got it.”

Carl: “Ok, got to get back to my spreadsheets.”

SBX/SX Athlete: “Talk to you later Carl.”

People Are Definitely Talking About This

Other
than the fact that the athlete broke the first 2 rules of “Fight Club” (by
talking about the weekend activities), and that I’ve substituted our SBX/SX athlete
for a “Fight Club” member in the dialogue, that scene could have been right out of the
movie.And it’s not too far off from what some everyday conversations about our racing activities are like on chairlifts, in offices, at schools, etc.It’s often
difficult for observers to understand why we put so much effort, time and funds
into racing and risk injury every time we line up at the starting gate.